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| Undocking, Separation and Fly-Around |
| Overview |
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Once Atlantis is ready to undock, the initial separation will be performed by springs in the docking mechanism that will gently push the shuttle away from the station. Both Atlantis and the station’s steering jets will be shut off to avoid any inadvertent firings during this initial separation. Once the docking mechanism’s springs have pushed Atlantis away to a distance of about two feet, when the docking devices will be clear of one another, Altman will turn the shuttle's steering jets back on in "Low Z" mode and fire them to begin very slowly moving away. From the aft flight deck, Altman will manually control Atlantis within a tight corridor as he separates from the ISS, essentially the reverse of the task performed by Commander Terry Wilcutt when Atlantis docked. Atlantis will continue away to a distance of about 450 feet, where Altman will begin the close flyaround of the station, first crossing a point directly behind, then directly underneath and then again above the station. If Atlantis' propellant reserves allow it, Altman will circle the station twice as the crew records views of the exterior with still photography and video. As Atlantis crosses directly above the station for the second time, Altman will fire Atlantis' jets to perform a final separation. The separation firing will put Atlantis on a course that will have it pass about a half-mile behind the station and then about a mile and a half below the station before moving ahead of it with constantly increasing distance. |
Editorial/Technical Comments: ShuttlePresskit
